Cocoa farmers in Oluwa Forest Reserve in Odigbo council area of Ondo State, have raised the alarm over the destruction of their N500m worth of cocoa plantations by thugs hired by a private firm, despite a court injunction halting such action.
They alleged that the firm, SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited, has also engaged soldiers and men of Amotekun Corps, to attack them on the farms.
The over 10,000 farmers who had spent over 25 years farming in the forest have cried to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, to intervene in their plight.
Addressing newsmen in Akure, their chairman and Secretary, Abayomi lsinleye and Odugbemi Omolewa, said that some farmers’ had died as a result of the destruction of the cocoa plantations.
Recall that the state government, through the Senior Special Assistant (Agric & Agribusiness) to the governor, Akin Olotu, has said that the Oluwa Forest had been handed over to SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited to grade and plant oil palm in line with CBN project.
But, counsel to the farmers, Tope Temokun, dragged the state government, Attorney General of the state, Ministry of Agric and SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited to court when the firm began to clear the cocoa plantations with earth moving equipment.
The court, thereafter granted an order of interim injunction restraining the respondents, including SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited, their privies, servants, agents or anyone acting through them or for them from further grading of the applicants’ cocoa plantations.
